~ Musings of a Bean Counter

PM filed suit against the Liberal Party

Our dear and beloved leader, Mr Stephen Harper – Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party (i.e. the Tories) – has decided to file a lawsuit against the Liberal Party (the official opposition) for defamation of character, libel and other such nonsense. For full details please read: http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/345635

Now, our beloved leader has decided to sue for $2.5M; can you believe it? $2.5M! There is a current brouhaha on Parliament Hill that Conservative Party officials may have used financial incentives to win the support of Independant MP Chuck Cadman before a May 2005 confidence vote. What the Liberal Party website is purporting is that Mr Harper had knowledge of these endeavours done by party officials. If such is the case that Mr Harper knew of this, as as Party Leader would have been in a position to sanction the offering of the incentives, they the Tories would have violated Parliamentary law — and we could then enter into an election with the Tories being in full disgrace.

I personally do hope that this case goes before the courts. The last time a Tory Prime Minister sued the Liberals for libel he won, but a few years later it was proven that he was guilty of what the Liberals accused him of — Mr Harper, cast your mind to the most recent events with regards to Mr Mulroney and the Karlheinz Schrieber incident.

Mr Harper has a track record of being a bully-boy, bullying his Cabinet Ministers, ruling with a near iron fist from the PMO (Prime Minister’s Office) and thereby violating the spirit of democracy and the role of parliament in governing this country. He needs to be reminded that in the world of politics there is the “cut and thrust” of accusations from rival political parties – and yet parliament still manages to continue onwards with no one resorting to libel cases. The late 80s was the heyday of John Crosbie, Torie MP from Newfoundland, who named Sheila Copps “Tequila Sheila” and other funny monikers. Debate and disagreement was kept to the House floor – not the court rooms.